


Come Crashing Down

by orphan_account



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Frerard, M/M, MCR
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 12:04:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7573369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the future things like color, movies, music, and even love is banned to keep the peace. The idea of world peace doesn't stop some people from breaking the rules though, and when Gerard meets Frank, a tattooed rebel, his routine filled life gets twisted and turned upside-down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come Crashing Down

Color, much like millions of other common things, had been outlawed. Of course, it's impossible to make everything just black and white, so the laws were written more along the lines of  _no colored hair, no clothes that stand out dramatically, no makeup,_ and a plethora of other odd rules that kept bright colors out of everyone's lives. The change happened a while ago, the fashion industry plunging to its death alongside the fast-food industry, music industry, movie industry, basically anything that profited off of a person's entertainment or loyalty. It was only a matter of time before government would fall with the rest of the world, leaving it open for anyone to take. People wanted change, they wanted help to not have troubles anymore. It was the ultimate cry for world peace. So things changed.

It became impossible to live life originally. To keep everyone happy, everything was planned out. When a child became old enough to work, they would be shipped off to whatever source needed more labor. When a person was ready to have children, they would be matched with someone according to scientific things like DNA. Love had been outlawed, too many things had happened out of passion for anything, even passion for another human being. Living this way was simple. Everyone fell in line, there was hardly any trace of depression or anxiety, and if there was it would not be reported because that would go against the norm, and going against the norm was everyone's biggest fear. 

Crime, abuse, neglect, all of the rates of terrible problems that plagued the private lives of ordinary people had dropped. A downside being the highest increase of suicide the world had ever seen. It was still a small percent, so people kept doing the same things day to day. The world was almost perfect, there was nothing to complain about. 

At exactly six o' clock in every household, alarms went off. Parents rose and children prepared for the day, throwing on the same gray clothes they had worn the day before, and the day before that. Everything was like clockwork, set in through so many generations that there was no one around to remember how things were before things fell.

Gerard gazed at himself in the mirror. He had exactly twenty minutes to be out his front door and catching a bus to his job. He was growing towards the age where he should have signed up for a partner to continue his bloodline, but he couldn't bring himself to, not yet. He was twenty-three, and all of the people he had attended school with already had two, maybe even three kids. It wasn't mandated that a person bear offspring, but it was generally expected. Along with things decreasing, the population had taken its own toll. Gerard stopped thinking about things like partners and children and brushed his teeth, knowing that in all the houses surrounding him everyone was doing the same thing he was at that exact moment in time. It was like having invisible strings that would be pulled along with everyone else's when it was time for something to happen. 

He spit into the sink and swished his mouth out with water. He pulled his black shoes on and pulled a white jacket around his shoulders to fend off the chill that was settling in with fall. At the exact time Gerard pushed open his door and stepped outside, ten other neighbors did the exact same thing, the doors clicking shut in unison. Gerard made his way to the bus stop and greeted the same people he always did every morning.

The ride to his office took about twenty minutes, so he always tried to catch a seat if he could. He settled in one of the chairs that was like an extra, one that didn't face forward towards the driver but instead faced the opposite side of the bus. He didn't like these seats because he couldn't gaze out of the window which meant he often accidentally made eye contact with others, but it was his only option. 

The bus pulled away from Gerard's stop and he closed his eyes, letting the world around him disappear for just a little moment. He found that if he didn't let things disappear he became agitated at every little thing, so he relished the few moments he allowed himself to have in the morning to let his mind wander free. The bus began slowing to open its doors at the next stop, and Gerard's eyes lifted open, ready to face his routine. They landed across the aisle, where a man had sat in the seat directly opposite him. He was an attractive guy, but Gerard didn't think that. He didn't know what attractive was, it was something that didn't exist. Even though he didn't know the word or have any other thoughts about the guy, Gerard still found himself looking at the stranger. He had shaggy hair that indicated a low-labor job and it fell just in the middle of his neck, curling at the tips. 

Gerard finally did have another thought, and it was that the stranger had dressed way too heavily for the slight autumn chill, with a scarf and gloves and the whole deal. Maybe he worked somewhere where it was cold inside, Gerard tried to rationalize. But it was still odd. Gerard didn't move his eyes away, and he was still staring when the stranger shifted  _just_ a little, moving to itch by his ear and pulling the scarf down slightly. When Gerard saw the tattooed scorpion tail that was poking out from under the rest of the scarf, his eyes widened and he gasped just slightly. Tattoos were a violation of the laws, especially with its color. 

Gerard's gasp drew the attention of the man opposite him, his eyes narrowing as they met Gerard's. Gerard felt his face warm up before he looked down at the floor, wringing his hands nervously like  _he_ was the one caught with a colorful tattoo on his neck. After he took the time to slowly count to ten in his head, Gerard glanced back up. The stranger had looked away, but he was fidgeting with the scarf around his neck. 

The bus ride continued like that, Gerard staring until the man looked over, forcing him to look away and repeat after counting to ten. The bus had come to a stop a total of four times, meaning the fifth one would be the stop for Gerard to leave. He wondered where the guy came from since everyday holds the same routine and he had never taken that bus before, at least not that Gerard noticed. It wasn't like Gerard to just not notice things. Maybe he had been recently transferred to work in a place that needed employees much more than his first place of work. It was rare, but transfers did happen. 

Gerard's eyes wandered again, this time to gaze out of the front window. He saw the approaching stop that was right on the same street as the buildings of offices he worked in. He let himself glance one last time at the stranger across from him before moving on his way, falling back into the same routine and not thinking anymore about the stranger from the bus ride. 

Well, he tried not to at least.

Gerard felt obligated to report the tattooed man to someone. He had seen it be done before, like when the woman that worked in the cubicle next to him was removed and never seen again and it was rumored that it was because she had an extra piercing in her ear. When people broke the laws, they had to be reported, right? Gerard knew that he should, but he didn't want to. He ended up convincing himself that what he saw earlier was nothing more than a trick of his mind, played simply out of boredom. 

He typed away on his keyboard, unaware that the clicks of his fingers fell almost perfectly in time with every other employee in the room. 

When Gerard left work to go home he had expected to see the same stranger from earlier riding the bus. Gerard managed to snag a seat in the back, so he could view the whole area with just one glance. Every time the door opened to let more passengers in, Gerard would crane his neck slightly to try and see a familiar face, but the stranger never showed. Gerard got off the bus when it stopped on his street and waved to his neighbor, who was entering her home at the same time as him.

As soon as the door was shut and locked, Gerard felt himself let go of a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. This was the part of the day where routine varied from house to house. There were a few options for activities. Gerard could cook up some food, or he could turn on the radio and listen to the local news reports even though there was never anything to report aside from the weather, which Gerard could just check on his phone. Gerard realized that he had no idea what to do. There was nothing fun around his house that was legal, not that he had anything illegal of course, just that everything he owned simply wasn't fun. 

He thought about the tattooed stranger and what he could be doing at that moment. Gerard wondered who gave him the tattoo, if there were other people who went against the laws so freely. Gerard knew that he should be angry at the man for disobeying laws, but he found himself intrigued instead. He hated needles, but he knew there were other ways to alter appearances, like coloring hair or simply wearing a bright green shirt instead of a white or gray one. Neither of those things would be easy to hide, so Gerard kept both ideas in his fantasies. Alcohol, of course, had long since been ruled out, so Gerard sipped on water as he listened to the monotonous voice on the radio saying that the next day would be sunny and bright, with the chill still nipping on noses. After, the voice started repeating the general rules of society and Gerard turned the machine off quickly. 

He could sleep whenever, there was nothing else to be done. He climbed into his bed with a chest heavy with weird emotions and a mind racing with the idea of purchasing bright pink socks to wear under his pants, only in his mind pink was pictured as the wrong color since he had never seen it before. Gerard wasn't someone who had dreams often, but that night he did have one. In it, he was on the bus, so close to the man that he could shift and bump against him. In the dream he was pulling down his scarf the whole way, showing a full scorpion. He was laughing when Gerard backed up slightly, and he offered to tattoo Gerard himself. 

Right when a buzzing needle met his skin, Gerard was ripped from sleep buy his alarm clock, and he had to shuffle out of bed to repeat the same routine he had since he turned eighteen. He almost forgot about the tattooed guy until he was seated in the middle of the bus, staring out of the window, and felt someone sit in the seat next to him. Gerard glanced to politely wish the stranger a good morning, as he would with any person who interacted with him, but when he saw just exactly who had sat next to him, the words seemed to stick heavily to his tongue. 

"'Morning," The guy smiled, greeting Gerard when it was obvious he was too shocked to be polite. 

Gerard swallowed the odd lump in his throat and returned the pleasantry, nearly breaking his neck in an effort to look away from the guy. He was wearing the same gloves as the day before, but they were finger-less and Gerard swore he could see ink creeping out from under the fabric. Gerard heard the stranger clear his throat and automatically looked at him despite himself. Gerard had a fleeting thought of  _wow, he's sort of pretty,_ before shaking his head to clear it. He didn't know the word attractive, but he did know when something was pretty. Flowers can be pretty, the stars at night can be pretty, but Gerard never thought another person could be pretty like those things. 

Small talk has never been something that Gerard engaged in. The stranger next to him, however, seemed completely comfortable chatting about meaningless things like the weather and work and his routine. Gerard answered with little  _mhmm_ 's and nods of his head when he thought it was appropriate but other than that, he wasn't really paying much attention to what the guy was telling him. Really, the guy just made Gerard nervous because of the whole tattoo thing. Gerard felt dirty, like he was hiding some secret. Again, like  _he_ was the one who went out of his way to ink his skin and break the law. 

At one point, Gerard noticed that the stranger was staring at him expectantly, like he had asked a question. "I'm sorry?" Gerard said weakly, embarrassed that he had zoned out rudely.

The guy didn't seem to mind, just smiled and said, "Your name?" When Gerard seemed hesitant to answer the guy went on to say that his name was Frank.

Gerard introduced himself after that, filing the name away in the back of his brain in case he ever had enough courage to report him. There were probably countless Franks in the world though, so he let the idea fizzle out before it really stuck in his mind. 

"Well, Gerard," Frank smiled, and Gerard wondered if his cheeks hurt at all from how much he had been smiling. When Frank spoke to finish his sentence, his voice dropped so low Gerard had to lean in slightly to catch what he was saying. "I'm gonna give you a slip of paper with an address on it that I think you might wind up liking. Maybe I'll see you tonight." Then, Gerard felt Frank wiggle a small piece of paper into his hand before abruptly standing and moving towards the exit. Gerard hadn't even noticed that the bus had stopped, or that he had missed the one he was supposed to take. Instead, he felt glued to his seat, too nervous to do anything. The paper made Gerard feel like he was holding his own death wish, and he refused to unfold it and read what it said. His first instinct was to crumple it up and throw it on the ground, but his hand stayed firmly grasped around it until he lost the battle of conflict in his mind and slid the paper into one of his pockets to read later. 

The whole day at work Gerard felt like a neon sign set up and flashing  _I'm breaking rules, come arrest me!!!!_ Even though he wasn't exactly sure if taking a slip of paper from the stranger- Frank- counted as disobeying laws. He supposed it had everything to do with what was on the paper. He tried to ignore it as best as he could, but it was practically burning a hole in Gerard's pocket, his fingers ached to unfold it and read what Frank had written. When he went to the bathroom before going to eat lunch, Gerard sat in a stall and psyched himself up to reading the note. 

With shaking hands and shuddering breaths, Gerard opened the note. It had been folded into a square, so the creases formed a cross through the scratchy letters. As promised, it was an address. It was unfamiliar to Gerard, and of course the first thought in his brain was that it was all some big joke or trap, that if he went to that address there would be cops waiting to arrest him. 

Then he remembered the scorpion tattoo and figured Frank couldn't be an undercover cop. Unless the tattoo was part of the disguise. His mind was spinning. 

Eventually, he stared at the note until he had the address memorized, ignoring the line of writing underneath that read,  _wear something cool!_ And he flushed the paper down the toilet. Gerard trusted his memory, but he didn't trust his wardrobe. What would be considered cool? He didn't have anything aside from his work jacket and a few shirts that were slightly different shades of gray. 

On his way back to his cubicle, his boss called him back to his office, asking why he had been late that morning.

"I missed my stop," Gerard answered honestly.

"Did you not wake up on time?" His boss asked, one eyebrow lifted curiously.

"No, sir. I did." Gerard's hands feel sweaty and he rubs his palms on his pants to dry them.

"Then how did you miss your stop?" 

Gerard scrambled for an answer. If he was going to turn Frank in, that moment would be the most perfect opportunity he'd get. Gerard started speaking before he made a solid decision on what to do about Frank. "There was this guy, he was spouting all kinds of crazy things to me and he distracted me." Gerard kept his answer vague.

This answer made his boss narrow his eyes. "Crazy things? Did he seem to be breaking any rules?" 

Gerard pretended to take a moment to think before saying, "Yes, plenty."

His boss leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and glaring. "Did you catch his name?"

For the first time in his life, Gerard lied. "No, sir. He was just some guy." He surprised himself with the words. Just moments ago he was ready to recite Frank's name and the address he was given, but something kept him from doing that. Maybe curiosity. 

His boss grunted, definitely not pleased with Gerard's lack of information. "Well, if he bothers you again, get his name so we can at least report something to the police. Now, get back to work." 

"Yes, sir." Gerard was dismissed with a wave of a hand and suddenly his tie felt too tight, the room too warm. During his boss' questions he had felt more calm than he ever had in his life, but after he felt as though everything had come crashing down. There was no turning back for Gerard, not after he let himself lie to his employer. It looked like he had something to do that night instead of just sleep. 

Not surprisingly, Frank wasn't on the bus after work. Gerard had bitten all available fingernails, a nervous habit he had dropped after high school. When he got home he was stuck in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to decide if he looked  _cool_ like Frank told him to. In the end he found a black shirt that was at least more discreet, and put that over black pants. When he shrugged his jacket on, he noticed that he had dressed in all black. At least then he could blend in with the night a little. 

Even though the address itself was unfamiliar, Gerard knew what area it would be in. It was a part of his town that he never had a reason to go to, so he didn't. That night, though, Gerard was slowly walking up and down sidewalks looking for numbers that matched the location etched into his brain. He began feeling hopeless, thought that maybe he had read the card wrong and thus memorized the wrong address, when he heard his name being called out. He spun around and saw Frank in the distance, jogging to catch up to where Gerard was. 

"Hey man," Frank greeted with his ever-present smile. "I told you to wear something  _cool."_  

His joke was lost on Gerard who genuinely thought that Frank was mad at his clothes. "I-I'm sorry, Frank. I've never-"

Frank laughed. "Wow, you've really never done anything like this before, huh?" Gerard didn't know what  _like this_ meant, but he nodded along. "I'll help you fit in a little bit, take off your jacket for a second."

Gerard, dumbfounded, did as he was told. The two stopped on the sidewalk and it was the first time Gerard really looked at Frank. He saw that he was still covering up his skin. Before Gerard could ask what the plan was for the night, he heard the noise of fabric ripping as frank tore apart the clothes like it was nothing. "Hey!" Gerard shouted, trying to tug away from Frank but it was too late. One sleeve had been ripped so badly that Gerard just let Frank rip the rest off along the hemline. "What was that for?"

"To look more cool," Frank said calmly. He produced from his pocket the smallest knife Gerard had ever seen and began shredding the shirt even more. After a minute of the shredding Frank put the knife away and said, "Alright, you can put your coat back on." 

The chill had raised goosebumps on his skin, so Gerard immediately covered again. He noticed that Frank's clothes were torn too. It must be what 'cool' meant. Frank started walking down the sidewalk again and Gerard paused, considering turning around and running home. But then Frank looked over his shoulder and smiled and Gerard's feet began moving without permission from Gerard himself. The two men walked in silence until Frank stopped outside of an entrance to a dark alleyway. Gerard wanted to ask him what was going on, where they were and if they wold be getting in trouble, but Frank was entering the darkness before Gerard could gather his thoughts.

Finally, when Frank raised his hand to knock on a door, Gerard sputtered out his name. Frank looked at him curiously, hand hovering above the door. Gerard took a breath to calm down a little, feeling like he was drowning. "Just, what is all of this?"

"This," Frank began with a smirk. "Is an escape." His knuckles tapped the metal of the door and Gerard felt sweat on the back of his neck. 

"An escape from what?" He asked. He didn't know why Frank invited him here, Gerard was obviously not someone who broke rules. Frank gave him a look that made Gerard self-conscious.

"An escape from  _this."_ He said, motioning towards Gerard and then all around. "Trust me, live a little." Gerard wanted to argue and say that he had been living just fine before all of this, but then the door creaked open and Frank was whispering with someone behind it. The conversation was too quiet for Gerard to pick up on, but then Frank was grabbing his hand and pulling him into the building. 

Gerard felt his heart beat hard when Frank grabbed his hand. He had never held someone's hand before, and Frank noticed his nerves. " _Gerard,_ " He breathed, impatiently tugging him forward. "Everything's going to be fine, okay?"

Gerard couldn't argue. He was in too deep. Frank led Gerard down a flight of stairs that ascended into even more darkness before Gerard was suddenly hit by noise. It was thumping, loud, Gerard couldn't hear himself breathe. "What is that?" He shouted to Frank.

"Music!" Frank replied, head bouncing along to the thumps. Gerard felt each thump in his chest and for a short moment, felt compelled to move like Frank was. Frank dropped his hand from Gerard's and began removing his scarf and gloves. Gerard's eyes widened when he saw just how many tattoos decorated Frank's skin, crawling up his arms and looping around his hands. He found himself grabbing at Frank again, twisting his body to look at all the ink. Frank laughed at him and tugged him further into the room. They were standing on the very edge of a dance floor, and Gerard was stuck looking at everything that was happening. 

People were dancing, rubbing against each other and kissing and laughing. Gerard had seen his parents kiss before, but it was nothing like the scene in front of him. People looked like they were kissing because it was  _fun._ In an instant, Frank was gone from Gerard's side and he felt panic rise in his chest. He didn't know anything about what was happening, but he did know that it was hot, so he shrugged off his jacket and let it hang on a wall next to some others. He moved forward, letting his body move along to the rhythm of the music, the strange noise loosening something in his chest. Gerard  _liked_ it. 

The deeper he got into the crowd, the more he lost himself. A cup was pressed into his hand and when Gerard tasted it, it was bitter and he choked on the fumes of alcohol. He drank anyway, wishing that Frank would come find him and explain more. While he waited, he watched men dancing with women and women with other women and men with other men, it was a mix of everything and Gerard couldn't stop staring. While he was watching, a girl made her way over to him and was pressing her body to his, and Gerard decided he didn't like having a random girl grind on him, but she was running her hands over his body in a way that made Gerard shudder and nervously sip on his beer. 

The girl pouted up at him and leaned in to say, "Aren't you gonna touch me too?" Gerard knew that his face was a deep crimson color, but the lights of the room wouldn't reveal that to the girl. He fumbled to set his drink down and then put his hands on her chest, wondering if that was the right thing to do. The girl chuckled, very aware that Gerard had no idea what he was doing. She wrapped herself tighter around him, enjoying the way he was very obviously nervous. She began to move closer to his mouth, and Gerard didn't want to kiss her, but he was stuck to the spot. 

Frank was back by his side in an instant, pulling him away from the girl. "Hey, I was wondering where you went." Frank shouted over the music, pressing closer to Gerard. It was different than when the girl had been moving closer and Gerard felt the change in the way his mouth went dry when Frank touched him. 

"You walked away, I was confused." Gerard explained dumbly, unsure what to do. Frank was bouncing happily along to the music, wiggling against Gerard and trying to get him to dance too.

"Come on, loosen up!" Frank cheered, pushing Gerard towards the center of the floor so he had no choice but to bounce along with all the moving bodies. Frank kept a hand on Gerard now so they wouldn't be separated, and watched as Gerard's eyes observed the couples around them. Frank knew that Gerard was a follower, that the idea of breaking the rules was the scariest idea he could have. The only reason that Frank slipped him the address was because he knew Gerard had spotted the tattoo on his neck, and yet he hadn't rushed to the cops. Frank knew that within hours of being spotted, cops would arrest a violator. But at the end of the night he was still free, and he was itching to see Gerard again to find out why he hadn't turned Frank in.

Gerard was terribly sweaty, his hair sticking to his forehead and shirt sticking to his body. Frank wanted to take the shirt off but kept his hands firmly around Gerard's waist as they bounced. It was awkward, and Frank was definitely used to being closer to the person he was dancing with, but he didn't want to push Gerard too far and scare him off. "Do you want something to drink?" Frank asked over the music. He saw Gerard screw up his nose and figured that he had a taste of beer. "I can get you just water, if you want."

"Can we, uh, not be in the crowd?" Gerard called back, Frank seeing the worry in his eyes. Instead of shouting Frank simply nodded and pulled Gerard back to the edge of the room where it was still loud but significantly less cramped. As promised, Frank brought him a cup of water that Gerard gulped thankfully. Frank wanted nothing more than to have him unwind, but Gerard was just too nervous. 

"Hey," Frank leaned closer to Gerard so that he wouldn't have to shout so loud. "Why didn't you turn me in, when you saw the tattoo?" 

Gerard stood for a moment, wondering the same thing. Why didn't he? He shrugged and sipped his water before saying. "I don't know. You should be more careful." He also didn't know why he cared about the guy's safety. Frank craved some alcohol to dull the buzzing of nerves that seemed electric in his body, but decided that if Gerard was going to be sober then so was he. Gerard continued looking at all of the people but Frank kept his eyes on his profile, the sharp nose and black hair that didn't stick out at all. Frank wanted desperately to show Gerard how fun living could be. Suddenly Gerard's eyes looked towards Frank and he dropped his eyes, blushing. "What is your routine, do you have one?" Gerard asked.

"Uh, no. I just graduated school last year and I've yet to be placed." He explained.

"You're only nineteen?" Gerard questioned and Frank nodded, suddenly worrying that he was interested in some creepy old guy. 

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three." 

Frank felt relieved. He was older, but not drastically so. The relief he felt allowed him to regain confidence. "What's your routine?" Frank utterly despised talk of routines and day-to-day actions, but he wanted to keep Gerard at least a little comfortable, and familiarity about a topic can be pretty reassuring. 

Gerard puts his empty cup down by his side, unsure what to do with it now that it's trash. "Uh, my job is in population management. I just calculate numbers, stuff like that." Gerard knew it sounded boring, and it definitely was compared to Frank's life. 

"Well, are you having fun here?" Frank asked hopefully. When he first saw Gerard staring at him on the bus he was a little nervous. He knew that he had slipped up and the guy had been staring at him until he got off, but now Frank trusted Gerard and he just wanted his trust to be returned. 

"I don't know." Gerard answered honestly. "I can't say for sure whether or not I've had fun before." 

Frank frowned. He didn't know how to explain what having fun meant. After that he decided to be responsible for making Gerard smile at least once that night because he realized then that he hadn't seen the man smile at all. A genuine smile, not one forced out to be polite. Beer wasn't an option, the crowded dance floor seemed to just make Gerard nervous, Frank didn't know what to do. He worried that he invited Gerard out too quickly. Actually, he wanted to classify it as a date, but he was pretty much positive that Gerard had no idea what a date even was. Maybe he should have invited him somewhere quieter, to build trust more effectively, but Frank's first impulse was to impress. Looking at Gerard, he didn't seem very impressed though, just confused. 

A boy twirled by with bright blue hair and Gerard wondered how he hid it. The stranger stopped his twirling in front of Gerard and eyed him up curiously before turning to Frank. "Frankie," He greeted happily, high off of weed and whatever pill was being offered moments ago. "Who's this?" He motioned with his head towards Gerard.

"I'm Gerard," He offered a hand, not wanting Frank to introduce him for some reason. Gerard wasn't given a name in return, so the stranger stayed a stranger. 

"I've never seen you here before, not with Frankie." The stranger smirks coyly. "He one of your new dates?" The guy addressed the question to Frank who immediately blushed. The word date was unfamiliar to Gerard in that context. A date to him was just a set time for a meeting to happen. Frank quickly pulled the guy away and talked quickly and quietly with him. Gerard watched his hands buzz around and the blue-haired boy simply smiled and kept shifting his eyes back at Gerard. 

Frank finally managed to get the boy to leave them alone and walked back to stand by Gerard. "Who was that?"

"Just a friend." Frank shrugged, not looking at Gerard.

"Oh." Gerard bit his tongue to try and keep his confusion from escaping but then he was asking, "Are we in a meeting right now?"

Frank looked at him curiously. "A meeting?"

"That guy, he asked if I was a date. I didn't know this was a date for a meeting. What are we meeting about?"

Frank looked at him for a second before erupting into a fit of laughter. It lasted seventeen seconds, Gerard counted. When Frank stopped laughing, he calmly explained. "The kind of date he was talking about is one where two people go out because- because they're interested in each other." He fumbled for words at the end. He didn't want to say  _because they like each other,_ because as far as Frank could tell Gerard was barely tolerating him. Gerard nodded thoughtfully. Frank definitely interested him. Then Frank said, "Like, romantically." To sum it all up and Gerard felt blood rush to his face. Romance? That's just another thing that's not allowed. He never considered anyone romantically, that was just another rule he didn't want to break. Whenever he got turned on he simply took cold showers, whenever there was a cute person that caught his eye in school he simply threw himself into his work. 

Frank looked like he was regretting bringing up romance. He quickly stuttered out to make the situation less awkward. "I mean, he was just high, joking around. We're not on a date, we're just hanging out. Nothing crazy."

Gerard nodded, trying to figure out what the sinking feeling in his chest meant. He guessed he had nothing to lose so he threw caution to the wind and asked, "Frank, what if I like the idea of this being a date?"

Frank perked up and a smile instantly spread on his face. "Do you?"

"Uh, I think so." Gerard replied. It was true. When he first saw Frank the day before he was torn between turning him in and ignoring his existence. Now, he just liked seeing Frank smile. Gerard thought back to earlier that day when he had lied to his boss about Frank. He must've been on a law-breaking roll. 

"Wait, you're not assigned to a partner, are you?" Frank asked nervously. 

"No." Gerard said. "I haven't gotten around to it. Are- oh no, are you?" He suddenly felt terrible pulling Frank away from whatever person he was meant to match up with, but Frank quickly shook his head. 

"Nope. No match for me- yet." He stood on his toes, his height significantly smaller than Gerard's, to whisper, "I don't trust the system when it comes to love." 

Gerard whispered back, mouth brushing the tip of Frank's ear. "But- but love, that's illegal." 

Gerard felt Frank smirk against his cheek. "Do I look like a legal guy?" 

Gerard knew then that it was a supposed to be a joke, something to make him smile or laugh, and he did for the first time that night. The involuntary pull of the muscles in his face to quirk up the edges of his lips was alien to Gerard. Frank continued. "We're not in love, Gerard. Just having some fun." 

He pulled back and then, when he pulled Gerard to the floor to dance, Gerard didn't feel nervous at all. The lights were bright and flashing and he jumped and even pressed against Frank, their mouths teasing but never meeting. Gerard was still cautious about actually kissing. The momentum between them had picked up, the blood in Gerard's body was rushing to and from his heart in an effort to keep his wild body oxygenated. Then the lights shut off, people stopped laughing and shouting and dancing. 

Gerard was slow to realize the change, only drawing to a stop when Frank placed a hand over his mouth and pushed his shoulder with the other. Gerard couldn't even see Frank's face anymore and was about to full on panic in the dark when someone shouted, "Cops!" and Frank was pulling him somewhere. 

"Frank-"

"Keep running," Frank replied, his hand firmly around Gerard, pulling him through the dark. Bodies hit bodies and Gerard heard the faint whoosh of needles meant to tranquilize. Guns had been outlawed, so darts were the next best thing to use. He heard people shout and yell and beg but all he really focused on was Frank's hand in his and keeping his feet from tripping. Gerard was suddenly hit with the cool air from outside but he didn't even have time to look around because Frank was still pulling him away. "What happened?" Gerard breathlessly shouted, realizing that his lungs were burning and his thighs aching.

"Cop raid." Frank replied, obviously more accustomed to running away from police. They didn't stop running until they were far away from the building and near a main road, and even then Frank kept his pace quick, heading somewhere Gerard didn't know. Gerard wanted to go home, to forget the crazy night and pretend like he hadn't broken dozens of laws and nearly let himself kiss the wild boy, but he kept following Frank. 

"Where are we going?" Gerard asked, still catching his breath from the sprint. 

"My place. You're welcome to come." Frank invited, twisting around a sharp corner and stopping outside of a building. Gerard hesitated, but his adrenaline was still pumping so he followed Frank in. Frank's home was practically identical to Gerard's on the inside, just like every other home Gerard had ever been in. Frank shut and locked the door, pausing to just catch his breath and let his heart slow down. Then he was laughing, laughing so hard that he had to lean against the door and he was faintly aware of Gerard laughing too. They were both laughing in the dark of the house before Frank noticed that Gerard had him pinned to the door with his laughing frame. 

The joking atmosphere faded as Gerard looked at Frank and then it was Frank's turn to be nervous. "I could, uh, get you something to drink?" Frank offered, trying not to lean forward and kiss Gerard who was staring hard at Frank's lips. Gerard didn't answer, he was conflicted about kissing Frank. In the end, Gerard bent just slightly and pressed his lips against Frank, the way he had seen his parents kiss and- oh. Gerard's lips buzzed with the contact and his hands shook when Frank swiped his tongue over Gerard's bottom lip. 

Gerard pulled away, only able to break so many rules that night, suddenly aware of everything he was doing. "I should, uh- I should go home." Gerard was reaching for the lock and Frank didn't stop him. Frank knew that Gerard was just a little freaked out about finally letting go, but it still didn't stop the hurt in his chest from Gerard going away. Frank was pushed away from the door and he noticed that Gerard was breathing too fast, fingers picking at the lock but shaking too hard to do anything with it. He was definitely freaking out. "Hey," Frank tried gently, placing a hand on Gerard's shoulder. Gerard at least stilled at the touch. "Gerard, it's okay."

When Gerard looked at Frank there were tears in his eyes. "No, Frank. I broke so many rules, don't you feel the guilt?"

Frank smiled sadly and shook his head. "I don't. That's because you shouldn't feel guilty. Gerard, that was having fun and feeling  _good."_

"But, but-" Gerard was scrambling for an argument but he just couldn't come up with one. Frank was pleading with his eyes for Gerard to stay, to just talk. Gerard sighed heavily. "It did feel good." He admitted.

Hearing that made Frank smile and feel victorious. "I just don't understand? Why did you invite me on a date in the first place?" Gerard asked, watching as Frank happily grabbed his hand to hold.

"Because you didn't turn me in." Frank shrugged. The answer seemed so simple to Frank, but Gerard wasn't satisfied. He had a lot to think about.

"Just, I gotta get home." He choked out nervously.

"Gerard-"

"I'll see you Frank, promise." Gerard finally managed to open the door and bolt out. Outside, the cold night air was a welcome difference on his hot skin. He realized he didn't have his coat and his clothes were still torn up, so he stuffed his hands in his pockets and hunched over, walking as fast as he could to his house. It turned out Frank lived pretty close to Gerard, and Gerard wasn't sure yet if that was a good or bad thing.

Over the course of the next month, Gerard couldn't stop thinking about Frank. Suddenly his routine felt  _boring,_ and it was the first time Gerard truly understood the word. He missed the flashing lights and pounding music that Frank had shown him, but most importantly he just missed Frank. At night his lips tingled when he remembered kissing him and his chest ached at the fact that they could be kissing  _then,_ if only Gerard would stop feeling so afraid. He wasn't afraid of Frank, but instead Gerard was scared of how different the world looked to him now, so bleak and dull.

Two months after that night with Frank, Gerard stood outside his house, building up the courage to just knock on the door and hope that Frank was home. Frank did answer. He looked tired and sad, his typical clothes covering his ink. When he saw Gerard, his eyes widened and his mouth parted slightly out of shock. "Can I come in?" Gerard asked to break the silence.

Frank hurried to move aside and let him in, still recovering from shock. Gerard promised to see him but that was two months ago. Frank gave up hope after a week. Once the door was closed Gerard awkwardly paced to the living room. "So, uh," He started weakly. "I've been thinking a lot." Frank nodded for him to continue. "Uh, mostly about you." Gerard could almost see why feelings like these had been outlawed, they were such a hassle. "And I just missed you." Gerard finished lamely, gazing at the floor and feeling dumb and embarrassed. 

Frank walked over and hugged Gerard. "I've missed you, too." Frank smiled.

"Really?" Gerard hadn't expected that. He had pictured Frank casting him out angrily.

"Yeah," Frank assured him. "I just didn't think I'd see you again. You weren't on the bus." That was true, Gerard had been walking to work those past two months to avoid possibly seeing Frank.

"I had a lot to think about." Gerard said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Frank lifted Gerard's chin to look him in the eye. "Don't be sorry, just be glad you're here now." Frank pushed forward and kissed Gerard, and Gerard sighed. It was everything he had missed those past two months. 

While Frank kissed him, Gerard thought that there were much worse things he could be than in love.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it, my disclaimer is that it's all just a product of my boredom so it's 100% fiction like everything else I write on this site. But yeah I guess if you read it all (even though I always end up writing way more that I originally intend to) I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!


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